Anna's blog posts

Of the 2018 CDA graduates, 5 completed a project for their final assessments. These projects, designed and conducted within an organizational or community context, integrate core philosophy, coursework, and field experience of the Community Development & Action program. Accompanied by a final document and presentation, the final projects account for a minimum of 100 hours of…

Of the 2018 CDA graduates, three completed theses for their final assessments. These intensive, independent research projects covered a wide range of scholarly interests that intend to contribute to the field of community development. This year’s completed master’s theses are described below. Lauren Baer Foster Care for Teenagers: Motivators, Barriers, and Strategies to Overcome Barriers Forty-three…

Geordie Brackin, M.Ed. 2010 Director of Global Innovation, Bridge International Academies “I came to the CDA program having themed interests in education and community-building, but not knowing what my path would be. I’ve now been living abroad and working in international education for the past 6 years and I owe that to the experiences I…

M.Ed. 2017 Director of Policy and Research, Metro Human Relations Commission “The CDA program provided an excellent balance of structure through core courses, as well as freedom to carve out our own unique paths.” Q: Where are you from originally and what did you do before coming to Vanderbilt? I am originally from Islamabad, Pakistan,…

Gabriella Flynn M.Ed. 2015 Program Coordinator, Columbia University Medical Center, Program for Global and Population Health “The way that CDA prepares you to be a reflective, generative practitioner who works with the community interests in mind is something that is invaluable to my work now as a researcher.” Q: Where are you from originally and…

M.Ed. 2011 Dillard University, Director of Student Engagement and Leadership “I rely a lot on my training with CDA, helping students to see the college as the community that they should develop.” Q: To begin, can you tell me a little bit about your background? Where you are from originally and how did you end…

Looking for some winter reads? Check out these recommendations from a few of our HOD professors: Paul Speer No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age by Jane McAlevey This is a book about labor organizing, but it taps into the rich ‘relational’ models that I focus on in organizing research. Discussing some of the recent…

Allie Mikels B.S. Public Policy Studies and Economics “For me, CDA was a great fit because of its focus on preparing people to be local change agents – which means something different to each of us, and yet unites us all.” Q: To begin, where are you from originally at what did you do before coming…

Hannah Nell B.S. Agricultural and Applied Economics, Political Science “The most valuable thing I have learned through the program is that there are tons of other people in the world who care about the things I care about and feel as much joy as I feel in…